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YYYs @ GoogaMooga 2013

We've already posted photos from the first two bands (The Darkness and The Flaming Lips) to play the Great GoogaMooga kickoff concert on Friday (5/17). Here are a set from headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs who were the only band to actually get to play after sunset. A few shots of Chairlift, who played two different DJ sets that day and who will perform in the same location of the park this summer, are also in this post.

Did you go on Friday? How was your GoogaMooga experience?

Right after playing GoogaMooga, YYYs hopped down to Gulf Shores, Alabama to play the 2013 Hangout Fest on Sunday (5/19).

"About halfway through the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Hangout Music Festival set, frontwoman Karen O took a moment to make a special announcement before playing the band's 2004 breakout single "Maps." "This is dedicated to Stevie Wonder," she called out to the thousands of fans who showed up to catch the Yeah's set. The iconic R&B star was slated to follow the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the Hangout Stage as the weekend's headliner." [MTV]

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Despite not having the most successful event either this year (rain) or last year (lines), a Channel 12 report claims GoogaMooga will be back in 2014. Meanwhile, BV Chicago reports that GoogaMooga might be coming to Chicago in A...

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We can argue about the musical and cultural value of the Doors, but it would be straight-up inaccurate to classify them as anything less than one of America’s truly legendary rock groups. And I think it’s fair to say, too, that Ray Manzarek was as essential to the Doors’ success as Jim Morrison, maybe more so. Manzarek more or less discovered Morrison, and encouraged him to sing, and Manzarek’s keyboard was absolutely as central to the Doors’ sound as Morrison’s vocals (the Doors never employed a bass player, because Manzarek played those parts on his Fender Rhodes piano). When you’re thinking of a Doors song — any Doors song — I’d be willing to bet you’re just as likely to call to mind the keyboard part as you are the vocal. Of course Morrison died in 1971, at age 27. Manzarek continued to make music in the decades following his bandmate’s passing, most recently releasing a solo album, Translucent Blues, in 2011. Today, Manzarek passed away in a hospital in Germany, of complications related to bile duct cancer. He was 74. RIP.

The founding member of the band and keyboardist passed away in Germany from cancer

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, has died at the age of 74.

According to a note posted on The Doors’ Facebook page, Manzarek

The co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors dies at 74.

According to The Doors’ Facebook page, Manzarek died earlier today after a lengthy battle with bile cancer.

Manzarek is best known for his time with The Doors, a band he founded with Jim Morrison after a chance encounter in 1965. The Doors were one of the most controversial bands of the psychedelic era until Morrison’s death in 1971, with Manzarek’s signature sound provided by a Fender Rhodes piano and the Vox Continental combo organ.

After The Doors, Manzarek continued performing as a solo artist, with Nite City, and, beginning in 2002, with Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger. In lieu of flowers, his family is asking that donations be made to Standup 2 Cancer.

The man behind those iconic keys on The Doors classic records, Ray Manzarek, has passed away. From The Doors twitter:

...After a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.

The man laid his keyboard and bass sounds (usually at the same time) to all of the band's LPs, as well as being a producer and writer for projects as wide-ranging as jazz LPs to Wierd Al Yankovic.

RIP Ray Manzarek, though your unique sound with The Doors will always signify some of the most important records of the era. Check out some classic songs by The Doors below.

Continue reading "Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, RIP" at brooklynvegan

With the release of

When DJs Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso formed Swedish House Mafia in 2008, the first track they ever wrote together was “Leave The World Behind”. Having called it quits earlier this year with a monumental set at the Ultra Music Festival, the trio is bidding their super final adieu with a brand-new version of the track.

Featuring vocals from French singer Lune, the remake also comes paired with a music video as part of a collaboration with Volvo. In the clip, the threesome take the song’s title quite literally, leaving the world behind for picturesque mountains and ocean villas, each in their own Volvo XC 60. Watch it below.

The Volvo XC 60 is built in the style of Scandinavian simplicity, with a floating stack, accented leather interior, and folding rear seats for additional storage. It epitomizes Volvo’s new approach to design, combining the high waistline of the XC range and the sporty contour of the coupes for those with the most active of lifestyles. And for the music fan, the new Sensus Connected Touch allows users to connect to Spotify and play their favorite track just by just saying its name. For more on the XC 60, head to Volvo’s official website.

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Liars @ The Met's Temple of Dendur, 5/17/2013

As mentioned, Liars were in town over the weekend for two shows. We already posted pictures from their Le Poisson Rouge show, but the main event this weekend was their performance on Saturday at the Temple of Dendur exhibit in The Met. Having the band play amongst Egyptian ruins as the windows darkened into dusk with projections behind them was, in the words of our photographer Amanda Hatfield, "nearly an hour of weird creepy awesomeness." Some might claim that sound was not ideal, but getting to see them in such a genuinely epic setting is certainly a fine tradeoff. Pictures from their performance are in this post.

The next show happening at Temple of Dendur is on July 19 when Om will play their track "At Giza," which is now sold out. More pictures from the Met below...

Continue reading "Liars @ the Temple of Dendur at The Met (pics)" at brooklynvegan